Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed grave concern over the World Bank’s confirmation that 60 percent of Nigerians are living below the poverty line.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Pfrank Shaibu, Atiku said it is unfortunate that “over 60 percent of Nigerians are now living below the poverty line, up from about 40 percent just a few years ago; this is not reform—it is regression on a monumental scale.”
He noted that Nigeria’s crisis is neither accidental nor unavoidable.
“It is the direct outcome of poorly conceived and harshly implemented policies, from the abrupt removal of fuel subsidies to the chaotic devaluation of the naira, all executed without adequate safeguards for the Nigerian people.
“The consequences of these trial-and-error policies are visible everywhere: food prices have spiralled out of control, inflation has wiped out incomes, small businesses are collapsing, and millions more Nigerians are being pushed into extreme poverty.
“While the Tinubu administration points to abstract macroeconomic indicators, Nigerians are living a far harsher reality—one defined by hunger, uncertainty, and a daily struggle for survival. This is not reform. It is economic shock therapy imposed on a vulnerable population.
“Funnily enough, a government that blames others while failing to shield its citizens from the shocks of a global trade war only ends up exposing its own incompetence.”
The statement said the World Bank has acknowledged the troubling paradox of rising poverty amid so-called reforms, exposing a government dangerously disconnected from the lived realities of its citizens.
“A government that presides over a situation where the majority of its people are poor, yet insists that progress is being made, has lost both moral authority and economic direction.”
As a solution, the former vice president offered a clear and credible alternative, “one rooted in experience, pragmatism, and compassion. “He believes that reform must be carefully sequenced, not recklessly imposed; that social protection must be real, targeted, and transparent, not symbolic; and that economic policy must prioritize job creation, food security, and income growth.
“The Waziri Adamawa’s approach focuses on rebuilding productivity through support for small businesses, agriculture, and industry, while ensuring coordination in fiscal and monetary policy to stabilize the economy and restore confidence.
“Leadership is not about defending failure, it is about correcting it. The evidence is already clear in the lives of Nigerians,” he
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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